SACRAMENTO -- Michael Czepil has been named the associate head men's basketball coach at Sacramento State, reuniting with first-year head coach David Patrick. Czepil is the second coach hired by Patrick, who took over the Hornet head coaching reigns in April.
Czepil comes to Sacramento State after serving in the same position at UC Riverside. The Melbourne, Australia, native coached four years at UC Riverside (2018-22), including the first two seasons with Patrick who was the Highlander head coach at the time. Czepil was elevated to associate head coach in 2020.
"I am pleased to announce Coach Czepil as my associate head coach," Patrick said. "He has played for me, and coached alongside me, so I have extreme confidence and trust in him. Mike brings international and collegiate coaching experience to our program. His ability to lead, teach and recruit at a high level, makes him the perfect fit for our program."
Czepil, who has 12 years of collegiate, international and professional coaching experience, helped UC Riverside to its best three-year run during the program's Div. I era. After taking on a rebuild during the 2018-19 season, Czepil was part of the Riverside staff that coached the team to a combined 47-35 overall record and 24-19 Big West Conference mark over the last three seasons.
Prior to his stint with the Highlanders, he was an assistant coach for the U18 Australian National Team during the Albert Schweitzer Tour in April of 2018. He was responsible for the team's defensive game plan, and Australia finished the tournament in second place with a 5-2 record (best finish in Australian history) while limiting opponents to 37% shooting during the tournament.
For two years (2016-18), Czepil led the Victoria Metropolitan high-performance basketball program in Melbourne. In that role, he oversaw the program's participation in the Australian Junior Basketball Championships, the nation's premier junior basketball event. While in Melbourne, Czepil identified numerous athletes within the junior pathway that eventually represented the national team.
His first head coaching experience came in 2015-17 when he led the Werribee Basketball Association's senior men's program in the Big V, Australia's third-tier professional basketball league.
He played four years at Nicholls State (2005-09), which included one season for Patrick, who was assistant coach during the 2005-06 season. Czepil received his first coaching experience at his alma mater where he was assistant coach for three seasons (2010-13). Czepil, who has shown recruiting prowess throughout his coaching career, landed his first big recruit in Liam Thomas (Sydney, Australia) who finished as Nicholls State's all-time blocks leader and was the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
As a player, Czepil was a two-time team captain and graduated from Nicholls State in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He later added a master's from his alma mater in education in 2013.
